Collaboration between Medical and Dental Fields for Head and Neck Cancer Treatment

〜The Role of Head and Neck Cancer Board〜

Abstract

Because the head and neck region harbors indispensable sensory organs such as the eyes, nose, and tongue, it is very important to take into consideration the patients’ quality of survival （QOS） in addition to the goal of better disease prognosis. Recently, cancer boards have become a valuable tool in the treatment of many kinds of cancer. Cancer boards are discussion groups where all the disciplines involved in the treatment of a patient are brought together to determine the best course of treatment for that patient. The head and neck cancer board plays an important role in these discussions because of the important issues surrounding QOS such as dysphagia, dysphonia, visual and hearing impairment, dysosmia, dysgeusia and disturbance of movement of extremities after treatment. At Tohoku University Hospital, the head and neck cancer board has met every week since July 2014 and has discussed over 1,200 cases involving head and neck cancer. New treatment options are also discussed such as robotic surgery, proton and carbon beam radiotherapy, and immune checkpoint inhibitors. These detailed discussions by the head and neck cancer board result in tailor-made treatment plans for our patients.